Corn-planter.



1 R. PACKHAM & W. L. BRALEY.

CORN PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.16, 1912.

Patented June 17, 1913.

2 $EBETS-SHEET 1.

wLUMBm PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

F. R. PAOKHAM & W. L. BRALEY.

CORN PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED SBP'1.16, 1912.

Patented June 17; 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COWWASHINGTON 1). c4

FRANK R. PACKI-IAM AND WILLIAM L. BRALEY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO,ASSIGNOBS TO THE AMERICAN SEEDING MACHINE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO,A GOR- POBATION OF OHIO.

CORN-PLANTER.

Application filed. September 16, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be 1t known that we, FRANK R. PACKHAM andVVILLIAM L. BRALEY, citizens of the United States, residing atSpringfield, in

the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Corn-Planters, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in corn planters and moreparticularly to those devices in a corn planter which operate to throwthe seed dropping mechanism into or out of operation as the furrowopeners are let into or lifted out of the ground.

It has been a common practice in a corn planter to provide for throwingthe seed dropping mechanism out of operation whenever the furrow openersare raised out of the ground in transportation or in turning the machinein the field. Some of these throw-out devices require an independentoperation aside from the lifting of the fur row openers, while othersoperate automatically in that the raising of the furrow openersautomatically disengages the seed dropping mechanism fro-1n the drivingmechanism. In the former manner of operation, time is lost and theoperator frequently overlooks the throwing out of opera tion of thedropping mechanism when the furrow openers are raised, or the throwinginto operation of the same when the furrow openers are lowered. For thisreason the automatically operating throw-out devices are to bepreferred, but as heretofore con- .structed, difficulty has beenexperienced in the successful operation of the same mainly through thefact that the front frame carrying the furrow openers has been utilizedas a factor to perform the throw-out operation, and, owing to the factthat this front frame is pivotally connected to the rear frame, noabsolute standard in the construction of the various parts embodied inthe throw-out devices could be maintained, so that improper adjustmentof the parts would cause a premature or tardy throwing in or out of theseeding mechanism, impairing the efliciency of the planter.

The object of this invention is to so arrange the parts of the throw-outdevices that they will be maintained at all times in proper operativerelation with each other so that the throwing in or out of the seedingSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17, 1913.

Serial No. 720,607.

mechanism will be accurately timed with the lowering or raising of thefurrow openers.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide for allowing the frontfurrow opener carrying frame to have a limited movement independent ofthe throw-out mechanism so that when the lifting lever is latched up andthe front frame allowed to float, to conform to the inequalities ofroughly surfaced ground, as is sometimes desirable, the throwout deviceswill not be influenced by such floating movement of the front frame butthe seeding mechanism will be maintained at all times in proper drivingrelation with the driving devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide for permitting theseeding mechanism to be thrown out of operation independently of anyraising of the furrow openers.

A further object of the invention is to simplify the construction andmake more effective the operation of devices of this character.

In the said drawings-Figure 1 is a plan view of so much of a cornplanter as is necessary to illustrate this invention. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation in detail of the lifting and lowering lever and some of thethrowout devices. Fig. 8 is a top plan of a portion of the axle showingthe clutch mechanism in section thereon.

Like parts are represented by similar characters of reference in theseveral views.

In the said drawings, 1 represents the main frame; 2 the carryingwheels; and 3 the axle-boxes connected to the frame and in which theaxle 4 is journaled, said axle being connected with the carrying wheelsso as to revolve therewith in the usual way. Located in front of themain frame and pivotally attached thereto is an auxiliary frame 5, whichcarries in the usual way the seed hoppers 6 and furrow openers 7, whichin the present case are in the nature of shoes or furrowing runners.This front auxiliary frame also has connected therewith in the usual waya tongue 8. The front auxiliary frame is pivotally connected to the rearmain frame as at 5 and means are provided for raising and lowering thesameso as to raise or lower the furrow openers out of or into theground. This raising and lowering means consists of a hand-lever 9,pivotally connected as at 10, with the toothed segment 11, secured tothe seat support 12 and having the usual spring-pressed latch 13 toengage with any one of the notches to hold the lever in differentpositions of adjustment. The lever has a forwardly projecting arm 14: tothe outer end of which is pivotally connected a rod 15, the lower end ofwhich extends through an aperture in the straps 8 connected to the rearend of the tongue 8, so that by throwing the lever to the rear, thefront end of the main frame will be elevated, carrying with it toelevated position the auxiliary frame, thus raising the furrow openersfrom the ground. A spring 16 is interposed between the straps 8 and apin 8 on the upper end of the rod 15, for the purpose of placing apressure upon the furrow openers when they are in their working positionin the ground. The auxiliary frame carries the usual operating shaft 17,which drives the usual seed plates (not shown) in the hopper 6, thisoperating shaft being driven through the medium of the sprocket wheel 18and chain 19 from any one of the series of connected sprocket wheels 20,which are loosely mounted upon the axle t and are adapted to beconnected ther with through clutch faces located respectively upon thesprocket wheels 20 and the clutch collar 21 fast to the axle, saidsprocket wheels being normally held in driving relation with said clutchcollar through the medium of the spring 22 interposed between the hub ofthe sprocket wheels and the cot ter pin 23 in the axle, washers 2stbeing em-- ployed to obviate friction when the sprocket wheels are atrest. As thus far described, the devices are of the usual constructionfound in corn planters of this type. a

Our improved devices are as follows Located loosely about the axle-box 3and the clutch collar 21, and in yielding contact with the sprocketwheels 20, is a cam ring 25 having a cam face 26, which cam face 26 isadapted to cooperate with the cam face 27 on the axle-box. Rigidlysecured to the cam ring 25 is a finger 28 which extends rearwardly,thence laterally, as shown at 28, and thence forwardly as shown at 28its outer free end 28 being hooked over the axle 4 so that said axlewill form a support for'said finger. Project-ing rearwardly anddownwardly from the lower end of the lever 9 is an arm 29, having alaterally projecting pin 30 which lies over the said finger. The resultof this construction is that as the lever 9 is thrown rearwardly to tiltthe frames upwardly, the pin 30, striking the finger, notates the camring 25, which, through the medium of the cam faces 26 and 27, forcesthe ring, and hence the sprocket wheels, lat erally against the tensionof the spring 22, thus disengaging the sprocket wheels from the clutchcollar 21 so as to throw the operating shaft 17 out of driving relationwith the axle. By this construction it will be seen that the deviceswhich throw the seed ing mechanism out of operation are all located uponthe rear main frame, so that, after they are once properly adjusted,they will be maintained in the same relative position with reference toeach other, thus insuring a uniform throwing out or in of the seedingmechanism, and that this operation in nowise depends upon the movementof the front auxiliary frame. It will also be seen that in the normalposition of the clevic-es, thepin 30 is located at a considerabledistance above the finger 28, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, sothat when the latch 13 is held out of engagement with the segment andthe auxiliary frame allowed to float, a limited movement of theauxiliary frame will be permitted without aflecting in any way thethrow-out devices. It will also be seen that the operator may, byplacing his foot upon the finger 28, operate the throw out deviceswithout the necessity of elevating the auxiliary frame, which may bedesirable where the auxiliary frame is float ing or where it is desiredto cease the seeding operation for a brief interval at places where theraising of the furrow openers is not necessary.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. In a corn planter, amain frame, an auxiliary frame pivotally connected to said main frame,seeding mechanism and furrow openers carried by said auxiliary frame, arotatable axle journaled in said main frame, a sprocket wheel looselymounted on said axle and having a driving connection with said seedingmechanism, clutch members between said sprocket wheel and axle togetherwith means for normally holding the same in driving relation with eachother, a lever on said main frame for raising and lowering saidauxiliary frame, throw-out devices for disengaging said clutch membersincluding a projecting finger one end of which is supported by saidaxle, and a projection on said lever cooperating with said finger todisengage said clutch members when said auxiliary frame is raised.

2. In a corn planter, a main frame, furrow openers pivotally connectedwith said main frame, seeding mechanism, a rotatable axle journaled insaid main frame, a sprocket wheel loosely mounted on said axle andhaving a driving connection with said seeding mechanism, clutch membersbetween said sprocket wheel and axle together with means for normallyholding the same in driving relation with each other, a lever on saidmain frame for raising and lowering said furrow openers, throw-outdevices for disengaging said clutch members including a projectingfinger, one end of which is supported by said axle, and a projection onsaid lever cooperating with said finger to disengage said clutchmechanism when said furrow openers are raised.

3. In a corn planter, a frame, seeding mechanism, furrow openerspivotally connected withsaid frame, a rotatable axle journaled in saidframe, a spring-pressed sprocket wheel loosely mounted on said axle andhaving a driving connection to said seeding mechanism, a clutch betweensaid sprocket wheel and axle, a stationary cam connected with saidframe, a movable cam on said axle cooperating with said stationary camto unclutch said sprocket wheel, a projecting finger connected with saidmovable cam, a lever on said frame for raising and lowering said furrowopeners, and a projection on said lever cooperating with said finger todisengage said sprocket wheel from said axle when the furrow openers areraised.

4. In a corn planter, a frame, furrow openers pivotally connected withsaid frame,

a lever for raising and lowering said furrow openers, seeding mechanism,a rotatable axle journaled in said frame, a springpressed sprocket wheelmounted loosely upon said axle and having a driving connect-ion to saidseeding mechanism, clutch faces between said sprocket wheel and framewhereby said wheel is normally in driving relation with said axle, amovable cam ring, a finger projecting from said cam ring, the free endof said finger having a bearing on said axle, and a projection on saidlever cooperating with said finger to disengage said clutch faces.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this 10th day ofSeptember FRANK R. PACKHAM. WILLIAM L. BRALEY. WVitnesses CLYDE A.BROWN, GI-IAs. I. VVELOH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

